Sigh.
This is one of those.
We’ve got your basic Indie Deep Space SF film, with a lot of raw talent and effort poured into it, one of those films you really want to love. So what exactly went wrong?
It’s easy to see the influences. There’s a lot of 2001 here, and a lot of Tarkovsky, and a touch of Terrence Malick’s Tree of Life. And, like all those films, this one is slow.
But, while Tarkovsky can keep you glued to the screen with footage of weeds moving in the water, and 2001 works for reasons that are probably unrepeatable, in a lesser film, this just means we’re talking slow.
And I do mean slow.
Add to this a story full of unanswered loose ends and barely defined characters, with an epic backstory which is only hinted at and characters with tormented pasts we never quite learn about.
Still, I’ve seen films with worse flaws that I liked. Or even loved. I suppose what is worse is the constant gloominess of it all. We know these characters are doomed, and it is no great shock that everyone ends up dead in the end.
And I do mean “everyone”
It seems like it’s going to go somewhere a little stranger when they reach an abandoned colony and find the settlers have descended into madness (but then, we only ever see two of them!) and there are nasty little alien creatures, which look more than a little like a “Krite” from Critters. Not that we ever see more than one of those.
But instead, it arrives at a dark and nihilistic ending, with a lot of talk about fate – confusing talk as the prophecies fail to come true and the main character chooses to bring about the “fate” he talks about.
Oh, well. There’s a lot of talent on display here. One can only imagine what they’ll manage to do with it – with a stronger script, stronger characters and more restraint.
I just hope it isn’t so damn gloomy.
rivets on the poster 